Enzo Maresca says he won't be a 'copy and paste' of Pep Guardiola with new Man City boss vows to avoid Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger traps

Guardiola's shadow was impossible to ignore as Enzo Maresca sat down for his first press conference since taking the reins at Man City. The Italian is no stranger to the club, having previously spent time on the coaching staff as the under-23s manager before working directly under Guardiola as first-team assistant during the historic 2022-23 treble-winning campaign - a history reflected in the "Welcome back Enzo" banner that greeted him at his official unveiling. Despite openly admitting the move felt like "coming back home", Maresca lost little time in making clear he had no intention of simply replicating the methods of the man he is replacing.

Maresca revealed that he and Guardiola remain incredibly close and even spent time together earlier in the week. However, the new manager drew a firm line regarding his own footballing philosophy, asserting that while City’s board hired him because they recognised overlapping conceptual principles, he will not be a passive imitation. "There can be some similar concepts, but every manager is different," Maresca explained. "I don’t think there are managers who can copy and paste other managers; it’s difficult. I don’t see football in the same way, and that’s why I don’t believe in copy and paste."

The incoming City boss demonstrated a sharp awareness of modern English footballing history when pressed on the daunting task of succeeding a manager who defined an era. Maresca explicitly cited the catastrophic, long-term administrative and structural collapses that plagued Manchester United following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as the tumultuous transition Arsenal endured after Arsène Wenger stepped down.

Rather than shying away from the historical curse, Maresca labelled the vacancy as the ultimate professional privilege. "The managers with many years at the same club, after it’s always a struggle a bit – after Sir Alex, after Arsene," Maresca noted candidly. "But also it’s a challenge to try to do the right things immediately for this organisation, for the fans, for everyone."

Asked what gives him faith that he can avoid the pitfalls that tripped up managers following in the footsteps of United's Ferguson or Arsenal's Wenger, Maresca pointed straight to the structure surrounding him at City rather than anything specific to his own approach. He argued that the club's rare stability at boardroom level, rather than any individual trait of his own, puts him in a stronger position than most.

"I think the organisation is the main thing," Maresca said. "This club, this organisation, they had three managers in 17 years. This is not normal. It does not happen often." He went on to frame that consistency as the real foundation behind City's success over the past decade and a half, one he now hopes to build on rather than disrupt. "So this probably is one of the things why I'm confident that we can do a great job; we can continue to do the job that has been done in the last 14, 15 years, since Roberto Mancini, and then after Manuel Pellegrini and, as you said, for ten years Pep."

Maresca was also asked about the circumstances surrounding his departure from Chelsea, a subject that has generated plenty of controversy given the club's public frustration over his mid-season exit and his own since-deleted apology posted on Instagram. Rather than shy away from the topic, he responded with a broad smile that seemed to take the sting out of the situation entirely.

"To be honest, I feel quite lucky in terms of my former clubs, Leicester and Chelsea; I think we did a great job in both clubs. The identity of the teams was clear; the success of the teams was clear. And I feel very lucky to have been part of these clubs," Maresca said. "But now I think we are here today; that is the most important thing. Just about City. Nothing to add."